Ukraine's Parliament Adopts Controversial Civil Code Amid EU Concerns
Ukraine's parliament adopted a new Civil Code on April 28, 2026, in 17 minutes, sparking controversy. Critics, including the EU ambassador and human rights groups, say it contradicts European law on various rights. The code's vague language and provisions on women and sexual minorities raise concerns about Ukraine's EU integration goals.
On April 28, 2026, Ukraine's parliament adopted an 803-page Civil Code in 17 minutes, aiming for EU accession by 2027. However, the EU ambassador in Kyiv, leading human rights lawyers, and about 30 Ukrainian NGOs argue the code contradicts European law on women, sexual minorities, the press, people with disabilities, and property rights.
EU Ambassador Katarína Mathernová stated Brussels is «analyzing» the text, acknowledging the code needed updating but expressed concern over «complex questions get[ting] short answers.» Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk defended the bill, stating it moves Ukraine away from Soviet-era private law towards European standards. The previous version, Bill 14394, was withdrawn in January due to public outrage over a clause allowing 14-year-old pregnant teenagers to marry.
The code introduces «доброзвичайність» («good morals») 45 times, a term Stefanchuk equates to European legal standards like boni mores. Critics, including Iryna Yuzik from ZMINA, warn this vagueness allows those in power to define moral criteria, potentially leading to discrimination. MP Inna Sovsun highlighted Article 317, which permits discrimination to «protect good morals,» despite listing protected categories.
Volodymyr Yavorskyy of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union noted the draft lacks grounding in European Court of Human Rights case law and appears conservative. The code mandates a six-month reconciliation period for divorcing couples with children and allows men to demand ex-wives revert to maiden names if deemed «immoral.» It also reaffirms marriage as between a man and a woman, ends recognition of same-sex family relations by courts, and voids marriages if a partner changes gender. While a separate civil partnership law is being drafted, its passage is uncertain, despite 78% of Ukrainians supporting equal rights for sexual minorities.